Various types of coatings are applied to surfaces in order to protect the surfaces from corrosion or to provide a surface having a particular desirable characteristic or property. Many of the coatings are applied by conventional methods, such as spraying, dipping or rolling the coatings onto the surface. Water-based or oil-based coatings applied by these methods are typically air dried or heat dried either by convective heat, radiant heat or microwave energy and the like.
Coatings which require more elaborate methods of curing such as ultraviolet or electron beam curing methods are typically conducted by placing the coated materials in a stationary curing device. This method works well for object which are small enough to fit into the curing device. For extremely large objects or surfaces too large or cumbersome to transport or move through such devices, alternate coating materials which may be less effective than ultraviolet or electron beam curable coatings are often required to be used.
There is a need therefore for a coater apparatus and method for coating large surfaces which cannot be easily transported through stationary curing devices and/or otherwise avoids the limitations of stationary curing devices.